Monster Jam takes over Pinnacle Bank Arena

These big rigs put on a show unlike anything else.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Pinnacle Bank Arena is spending the weekend as a monster’s playground, as the big trucks of Monster Jam take center stage.

As colorful as the trucks are, the personalities behind the wheel manage to outshine them. People like Elvis Lainez, who, just shy of 24 years old, is the driver of El Toro Loco.

“At 15 years old, I actually messaged one of the drivers”, he remembers, “just asking, ‘Hey, man, am I able to come out, and help you out? I just honestly want to be around the trucks. I want to learn about them. I want to become more involved in the sport’.”

Six years later, Lainez has moved from a volunteer to a wheelman. “It’s such a crazy story, but I wouldn’t have it any other way”, he says.

It’s a crazy story to fit a crazy sport. All the thrills are judged by the fans themselves, who determine the number of points earned by the drivers. That’s why relative newcomer Tony Ochs being so close in the points to the hugely popular Grave Digger is such a big deal.

As they enter the next round of competition, Ochs says the battle is “just by a few points, so right now it’s down to the wire.” He has a secret weapon to narrow the gap even more.

A 10-year veteran of the US Army, Ochs says, “Almost every city I visit, I get to visit with old military brothers and get them to come to the event and they just have a ball.”

Lainez has a plan, too, to snag himself the most points: “Every single event, I want to progress as a driver. I want to make myself better, but most importantly, I want to give the fans a better show”, he says. After all, “I used to be one of the kids in the stands, watching the events, and I know what the people want. I want to come out here and deliver that to them.”

The big show takes over PBA on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on all the biggest things happening in the monster truck world, cruise on over to the Monster Jam website.